It's that time of year!

Yep, it's that time of year again. The rowdiest of birthday wish lists for the upcoming day on May 21!

Here ya go, a rowdy guide to what sort of gifts I'd dream of seeing to assuage the awfulness of my ever advancing chronological age.

-An Atlas belt for shooting. Any color. Probably a small as I'm a 31" waist. Here

-THIS Vintage shark book on Ebay I remember from my childhood.

-Akrapovic full exhaust system for my motorcycle, 2014 Yamaha FZ-09. HERE.

-If I get the exhaust then I need a Dynojet Power Commander as well. Here

-A genuine fossil Megadolon shark tooth. From this dude.

-A used play style dirt bike, as super D has one and I don't. Super D acutally has more two wheeled things than I do, motor or non motorized..... A used Yamaha TTR 125 LE would be best. (electric start, big wheel, disc brake version preferred) Like THIS one in San Diego CL for $1300.

-More sheets and cardboard spacers for my coin collection.

-Private Arabic lessons. I'll need to go slow, as I now know I don't learn non-Latin foreign alphabets that fast. Probably Language Door.

-New shorts for summer.

-New summer sunglasses. Either sporty or fashionable.

-The silver or black edition of the latest GoPro. I want the higher mp and fps those versions bring. Especially the mp in the camera mode. I only have 5mp at best available to me currently. My two year old phone has an 8mp camera for goodness sake...

-Gift certificates to Dairy Queen, Chik-fil-A, Phil's BBQ or Oggi's pizza.

-More 5.11 taclite pants. Any version, any color. 31 or 30 waist and 30 length. HERE

-A Glock 41. As they are an off roster pistol for CA I need a vertical family member, meaning parent or child, to buy it for me in a "free" state and then I can legally transfer it to myself here in CA. Brother or sister doesn't work sadly.

I am drugs-Salvador Dali

I have never done heroin, cocaine or lsd. I have never been in a band in front of thousands. I've never "dated" a super model. I can't imagine the type of buzz/high you must get from these sorts of things.

I have been in life or death situations. I have sky dived, swam with sharks and stood near a volcano. I've ridden my motorcycle over 160mph. Yeah, you can say I have had my own share of adrenaline, "buzz" or whatever from what I have done in real life.

But there is one thing I get a buzz from that can't be replicated from drugs, people, fame or danger and that is getting a new motorcycle. It gives me like 24 hours of hand shaking excitement.

So with that now said, check out the latest "high" to make its way into my life.

Gojira

Three weeks roughly until I can see the new Godzilla movie. Happy birthday to me!!!

5 year plan.

Job interview, self help books and well meaning parents have all stressed that you need to have a 5 year plan. Otherwise you are just lost and much less likely to accomplish your goals.

Now for some, everyone living in Ocean Beach, goals and plans aren't that big of deal. But I like crossing things off the list, meeting my own personal expectations. With that, here is a roughed out 5 year plan for myself.

2014-continue to teach motorcycle safety class. continue pursuing professional shooting career.
2015-earn my Teaching Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) certificate. learn the arabic alphabet.
2016-move to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Oman or some such place.
2017-continue 2016 plan and include learning of Arabic language.
2018-return to the US and buy a spread near Austin Texas.

There you have it, my roughed out 5 year plan.

It's all in a name.

I am the third grandchild in my mom's side of the family. I have two older female cousins. It was their mom who gave my mom the idea to name me Rowdy. As often happens in families, grandparents have nick names. From either familial, cultural or ethnic sources. Think of all the Nana, Oma, Opa, Granny names you know.

Well my two older female cousins took to calling our mom's dad "Pop Pop" as it was an easier to pronounce derivative; Grand Pa turning into Grand Pop turning into Pop Pop. I don't think I knew my Pop Pop's real name until I was like 10 or something. I don't think I've ever heard another grand father called this name, but he took to it and wore it proudly. And all of his eventual 20 some grand kids called him it for his entire life.

I think my dad gets called "Poppa" by most of his grand kids. I should ask my mom, she'd know for sure. Either that or "Grandpa B" from some of the older ones. I don't know, hahahah, to me he is just Dad.

Long story short, it looks like I'll be assuming the mantle of the "Pop Pop" name when that event comes about and I hope to do it proper justice. In respect to the original Pop Pop.

Me on horse with one of said older cousins in front.

As a toddler sitting on Pop Pop's lap.

Salmon fishing in Oregon with Pop Pop.

Death

So one of my part time jobs right now is teaching the Basic Rider Course so that people can get their motorcycle license in California. The basics of riding skills and safety. So it was unnerving last night to see this dead body under a plastic sheet. LINK TO STORY

I've been on a group ride where someone died in an accident. I know multiple people who've been paralyzed from motorcycle crashes.

But seeing that dead rider last night and then the S Korean ferry incident in the news; which was made stronger for me since Killer is living in S Korea, made me think about the effects of death and dieing in my life. Which really is sparse, so it I feel kind of nervous.

None of my friends or class mates died growing up. In high school two people I know had distant family members die, whom I'd never met, but I went to the funerals out of support. These were the first funerals I'd attended.

In college my paternal grandparents died. I didn't see them die, I wasn't in town when they died. I did attend both their funerals and gave the eulogy at my paternal grandmother's service. I don't think my dad has even placed their headstones over a decade later. Sad.

After college and at work I had a few patients die in my presence during medical procedures. I've personally seen people die from heart attacks and sepsis and pulmonary embolisms. But I didn't know them and it didn't really effect me emotionally.

Later both my maternal grandparents died. I didn't live in the same state as them, they were both ill and it wasn't really a surprise. I didn't attend either funeral though I was closer as a child to this set than the other. For which I do feel some guilt.

Basically my grandparents died when I was an adult and that's my sole experience with death in a close, touching way. Now, there have been times in my life where I thought I was going to die due to illness, injury or explosion but I don't think that really counts. It would have effected others much more than myself.

Which all makes me wonder what I will feel when a first order family member dies. Or one of the few close friends I know pass away. Or heck, anyone I might have known personally. I see grieving, stricken faces in news photos and feel sad seeing their anguish. So I really wonder what I'll feel and more nervously, wonder when it will be my turn???????

This is my............

This is my cat. He is cute when he's sleeping. Some other times as well.

The quiet professional

July Jaunt

Ok, I think I have a pretty good idea of where I want this July's jaunt to be conducted. For sure South Korea because I can use Killer as guide, translator and so on. Having him be able to speak and read Korean will be invaluable to experiencing S Korea in a way I wouldn't other wise.

See the DMZ, Seoul, the mountains, the southern fishing villages and some islands.

Next stop, Taiwan. I've just had a long layover in Taipei as my only previous Taiwan experience. And I'll do anything to avoid mainland China. So a mix of the urban in Taipei and then natural beauty with all the canyons and hikes and such in the rural parts of the island.

Finally, Cambodia! I have a neighbor who is ethnic Cambodian and he lives there currently. I just texted him about the possibility of visiting in July. So once again, having a guide and language speaker who lives in country and that I already know and have a friendship with. Phnom Phen, Angkor Wat, killing fields, Pol Pot.

Yeah, I think I'd like these to be the final stamps in this passport before I need to get a new one. (due to it being full, not expired natch!)

I want to skip Japan because I don't want to give it short shrift. I've already been to Malaysia and Vietnam. I don't wanna go to Thailand without my brother and his family. So I feel pretty happy with the choices I've currently made.

What do you think?

Spring Broken, The End-en-ing.

And it continues.... Freaking A.

I got a ticket for speeding, 66 in a 50 zone. Jeopardizing my job teaching motorcycle safety when it's time to renew my certification. So increase in insurance premium. Paying money for the ticket itself and hopefully traffic school. Then the possibility of losing my job at my renewal.

I lost a $50 gun part out in the sticks during a practice session.

A mistake by an officiator at my shooting match on Saturday up in LA cost me the win. I lost by 2.71 seconds. The penalty the guy who "won" didn't get, but clearly earned, would have been 3 seconds. More importantly it cost me $100 in sponsor rewards. Needless to say I am not happy.

My cat no longer plays fetch with me. He has clearly made it known he wants to live outside during the daytime. So we spend a little less time together playing. Better for him, but a little sad for me.

Yep.... Spring Break. Woooo. Hoooo.

Obituary

So I've been seeing in the news people who've died in an accident being described and an aspiring something or other. Jane Doe was an aspiring marine biologist. John Doe was an aspiring actor.

Well if I were to die by accident in the near future I'd like the news to say, "Rowdy B-----, an aspiring astronaut, big game hunter, photographer, Nobel Prize laureate, Olympic silver medalist, Rhode scholar, novelist and professional shooter died today when he choked to death when he aspirated a white cherry Slurpee at an Allied Gardens 7-11." It's silly, almost everyone is aspirational for some great thing. But if you haven't achieved it you shouldn't really be recognized just for your desires.

If I die before my parents bury me near my grandparents. Play the Battle Hymn of the Republic at my funeral. And split my $300,000 life insurance policy equally between J, K and M.

Spring Broke Pt 2, the Brokening

Let's see, where did we leave off?

Forgetting stuff? Check.
Super sick? Check.
Bugs in my food? Check.
Rained on? Check.

And in the past few days I can add missed get togethers with friends. Losing an important gun part. Same said gun having a mechanical failure. And my reloading press is acting up. And I still need to do three oil changes of vehicles.

Now I can add getting a ticket for 66 in a 50mph zone. So my third ticket in as many years. Which for most of my adult driving live has been normal, one ticket a year since ever was. But now that I got a job as a contractor for CHP to teach motorcycle riding and safety classes well................

Let's just say that I got my first paycheck in the mail today and probably my last. I was told when I was hired my driving record was at the limit of acceptable. Getting this kind of speeding ticket just in the first month of work is going to result in my getting "let go".

Great. Not.

What good has happened? Got to go out to dinner with friends. No longer sick. No big surprise tax bill. I got a new helmet. I'll call my boss on Monday to give him the news. Ugh.

Spring Broke! I mean break!

So far my spring break has been all spring broke!

Monday-I found a dead hornet in my bottle of root beer at lunch. After they forgot my order, of course, and I had to wait 30 minutes for a tuna sandwich. I didn't notice the hornet till I'd rolled it over my teeth and tongue a few times in curiosity before spitting it out.

Then I went to shooting practice and my new 120$ worth of target stands worked worse than my $12 home made ones. And I forgot my chronograph and couldn't get a lot of the data I really wanted to gather. Finally my custom gun, which just had to be sent back for trigger work, stopped working properly again.

Tuesday-Rain. Contractor to fix stuff at the house cancelled. No breakfast due to a medical test in the am. Which then took 50% longer than advertised. And they had to poke me three times for the IV. And I had to vomit and nap for hours afterwards due to the side effects of the more than quart of oral contrast I had to drink.

I wanted a nice lunch as I was sick and starving. Off to sandwiches again. Guess I didn't learn.... What I first ordered they were out of. Then Super D got the wrong drink. Then I dry heaved in their parking lot. And I wasn't really satisfied with my order either. Maybe through no fault of theirs.

I have a bunch of stuff up for sale on Craigslist and dealing with sellers is turning out to be a nightmare.

I also missed shooting practice today. Which means I have to do extra tomorrow when I'm already feeling less than 80% and pressed for time. Oh and when I bought some gunpowder today from a private seller he charged me twice retail, thanks.

Terrorism Tourism

Ok, so I've been to some interesting places. Kuwait, Qatar, Israel, Morocco, North Vietnam, Malaysia, Iraq and so on. Each of these places has had some "issues" in the past with war, terrorism or conflict. Well it seems to be forgotten now, but so does San Diego.

And thus I have my next photography project! Some of the 9-11 hijackers and plotters lived in San Diego! So I am going to go to where they lived and studied and take pictures then superimpose their faces on top of them. Just the type of thing to get me interested and feeling creative!